Ironing machine



F. M. CASE IRONING MACHINE March 17, 193i.

Original Filed Oct.. 5l, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet l 1 'original Filed oct.51, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 17, 1931. FfM. CASE iRoNING MACHINEOriginal Fi led Oct.

3l, 1927 5 Sheets-Sh'e'c 3 INVENTOR March 17, 1931. F. M. cAsE IRONIHGMACHINE original Filed ooi. 31, v1927 5 sheets-sheet 4` INVENTORATTORNEYS March I7-, 1931. F. M. cAsE 1,796,505

IRONING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 3l, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOF`[7cm/veis JW. CASE ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 17, 1931 UNTED STATES? FATENTOFFECE FRANCIS M. CASE, 0F CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO SOLOMONGUGGEN- HEIM, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO IRONING MACHINE Originalapplication filed October 31, 1927, Serial No. 230,153. Divided and thisapplication filed October This invention relates to ironing machines andparticularly to the flat work type utilizing a heated roll and paddedpressure rolls.

In ironing machines utilizing the heated rolls and padded pressurerolls, it has been customary to heat the heated roll by steam or gasiiaine, and in the latter' arri ngement it is necessary to have a burnerof the type which will produce a multiciplicity of small flamesimpinging'the inner wall of the roll throughout its length. Vhen thisheated roll is of any .considerable size, it is also necessary toincrease the number of burners and space them in a group at the upperand inner peripheral portion of the roll to further increase the heatingeffect upon this roll.. It is necessary, of course, to vent the productsof combustion from this roll and this may only be done through one orboth ends of the roll with the result that any practical ventingstructure must needs be limited, and when so limited, the ability toheat the roll-by means of gas Haines is also limited. lt is one objectof this invention, therefore, toy overcome the above diflicultybyproducing an artiiicial venting of the roll to relieve it of itsundesirable products of combustion, enhance combustion, and permit thesupplying of the roll with ample heating means. In the oresent instancethis is accomplished by a suction device made effective within the rollby a perforated pipe extending throughout the length of the roll at themost critical point so that the roll is relieved of its undesirableproducts of combustion and the machine as a whole is thereby givengreater e'liiciency in operation.

It is also a feature of this invention to provide the padded pressurerollers with suitable mechanism for exerting uniform pressure upon thework and with means for raising and lowering them into operative andinoperative positions. This same means also functions to connect anddisconnect the drive to these rollers from a suitable source. Anotherfeature of this invention is the provision of suitable thermostaticmeans for controlling the fuel and thereby controlling the effectivetemperature of the ironing roll.

Serial No. 311,631.

Still another feature of the invention is the construction andarrangement of the ironing roll and its supporting bearing shown, forexample, in the drawings at one end of the roll whereby a substantiallyfull sized opening is provided at the end of the roll to furnish thegreatest possible vent therefor and also to furnish the greatestpossible clearance at this point for access to the inside of the roll,the foregoing being accomplished by the arrangement of the bearing uponthe outside of the trunnion sleeve which is as near as possible the sizeof the bore of the roll. This enlarged Opeliing at the end of the rollmakes it possible to substitute. other heating means such as anelectrical heating unit for the gas burners when they are undesirable.

Otherfdetails will be brought out in connection with the followingdescription, drawings and claims. i

In he drawings, Fig 1 is a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2 is asimilar view with parts broken away and in section, the View being onthe line 2 2, Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a right end view; Fig. l is a detailview of the safety guard latch, the View being on the line 4 4, Fig. l;Fig. 5 is an elevation of the left end of the upper part of the machine,as shown in Fig. l; Fig. 6 is a somewhat diagrammatic View showing thearrangement of the pressure rolls, the heated roll, and the support forthe burners and the exhaust tube, with the preferred relation indicated,the view being on the line G-6, Fig. 2; Fig. 7 is a detail sectionthrough the thermostatic control and gas valve; Fig. 8 is a detailthrough one of the plungers for he pressure rollers; Fig. 9 is a view ofa part of the machine as illustrated in Fig. 2, to indicate the machineas equipped with an electrical heating unit; and Fig. l() is a more orless diagrammatic cross section of the heating roller with theelectrical heating element applied, the View being on the line 10-10,Fig. 9.

In the drawings, 1 and 2 represent the mainend frame members connectedby suitable transverse bars 3. to form a rigid upstandng base frames Theupper ends of tri these frame members 1 and 2 are provided with framepads -l upon which the ironing machine unit rests. lThe ironing machineunit comprises unit trame members 5 and 6, the latter extending upwardand being provided with a main trunnion bearing 'l adapted to receivethe hollow trunnion S forming a part of the end head 9 otl the ironingroll 10. The body or this ironing roll is of tubular form suitablysecured to the end heads. Secured to the end head 9 within the trunnionbearing 7 a rolldrivingv gear 11 meshing with a driving` pinion 12mounted upon shalt 13 carrying a worm wheel 14 driven by a worm 15 upona shaft 16 extending tothe front of the machine, where iU receives afast driving pulley 17 and a slow driving` pulley 18, these two aulleysbeing loose upon the shaft and being clutched thereto b y any suitablemechanism comprising a shittable clutch member 19 carry/'ing clutch pins20 on either side thereo1, and adapted to bc moved longr-.udinally by ashifting rod 21 telescoped within the hollow end i2 of the shaft 16.This rod Q1 is manipulated by a handle 23. The two pulleys 17 and 18 aredriven by suitable be ts connected to suitably sized driving pulleys 2land driven by a motor 2G secured in any suitable manner in the trame. Bymanipulating the clutch, the ironing roll and any parts in drivingrelation therewith maj-,fY be driven at various spe-ds, depending` uponthe particular pulley ratios ot the drive.

rlie other Jframe member 5 is of somewhat similar structure except thatin place of the main bearing 7, it is provided with an enlarged openingas shown at 27 for providing access to the end of the ironing roll, aswill appear. To support the cnd ot the ironing roll at this particularend oi the machine, the unit .trame member 5 is provided with two circinterentially spaced supporting rollers 2S as shown in Figs. 2 and Theserollers engage a trunnion sleeve 29 forming a part ot the end head 30secured to the ironing roll body or Vtube l0. The trunnion sleeve isVpreferably made as large as practical so as to provide as great anopening in the end ot the roll as possible tor venting the roll of asmuch ot the products of combustion as possible,` and also for providingaccess to the roll for various parts of the burner and exhaustequipment.

lt is obvious from the foregoing that the ironing roll is suppoi ed atboti ends with a trunnion bearing lit at the right end, as shown in Fig.2, and with a trunnion sleeve and external roll mounting at the leftend, and these bearings are so arranged that the roll when heated mayexpand.v freely to the left or over the rollers 28, and this movement isutilized for regulating the heat, as will appear.

The ironing roll is heated by suitable heating apparatus in the form ofburners and it comprises a suitable air mixer 31 at the f hand end, asshown in Fig. 2, mounted upon the upper end of a tuel supply pipe 32carrying an angle valve 33. This supply pipe is supported in the trainein any .s ible manner and supports the burner mechanism at this trunnionend of thc machine. rlhe mixer 31 is provided with a. mixer pipel-lextending through the hollow trunnion 8 into the roll and to asuitable point where it may ei'lcctively supply a portion of theburners. At its inner end it is connected to a suitable manifold spidercomprising, in the instance shown, three radiating arms 3^", 37 and 3S,on the outer ends ot each oi which there is a split collar clampcomprising` an arm member 39 and a cap 4.0 adapted to be clampedtogether by suitable bolts Lll. Each oi' these clamps receives a burnerpipe or tube l2 having a opening il communicating with the openiig oilone ot the hollow arms liti, 87, 3S whereby the burner tube is suppliedwith Each one of the group of arms 36, 37 and 38 provided with a burnertube and each burner tube is provided with suitable iet openingsarranged to project their Y"iames toward the inner peripheral wall of heironing` roll for heating the saine. The uter free ends of these burnertubes are pl gged as at 45.

ln a similar manner the lett hand end of the ma hine as shown in Fic. 2is provided with a luel supply, and in this arrangement the mixer Gsupported in a suitable stepped. circular trame member i7 secured to theunit frame member This mixer is provided with a suitable jet lf3 conncted by an angle valve l5) to a supply line 50. The mixer is alsoconnected to a mixer tube or pipe 5l extending into the roll andconnected to a spider similar to the spider 35. ln this way the burnertub-es are supplied with at a plurality olpoints and ample fuel isfurnished for the heating operation.

The pipes and 50 are connected toether and lead to a main controlVthermo- `tai-tic valve body Fig. 7, supported in suitable bracket 53secured to the trame i' having an outlet chamber and an chamber sep; tedby a partition 5i noviding a valve seat 57. This s .at is engaged byvalve 5S, normally orcec toward its scat by a spring 59. '.lhis 5% isprovided with a stein 59 adapted engage in a suitable scat in a thrustscrew t ea led into a clevis 51 swivelled to the end or" a lever 32tulcrumed at G3 and having an exten-ding arm G-l engaging a thrust screwG5 supported in a plunger GO slidably mounted in the traine and carryinga roller 57 adapted to engage the circular end edge oit the trunnionsleeve 29. The lever (3Q is normally pressed against an adiustable stop(VHS.

si "fie n ll.

G8 by aspring pressed plungerl 69 mounted in the trame so that theadjusting screw 60 is normally held in engagement With the valve stem59, as clearly shown in Fig. 7.

From the foregoing arrangement of the fuel control,` it Will be seenthat as the iron ing roll-becomes heated and expands it Will tend, byend thrust, to move the plunger 66 and the lever in a counter-clockwisedirection and allow the valve 58 to seat and cut down or shut oil thehiel supply, and contrariwise, as the ironing roll cools dovvn, thereverse action Will'talre place and additional fuel Will be supplied tothe burners.

It is to be borne in mind that a machine of this type may be, and infact is, arranged to handle articles of considerable size, requiring theironing roll to be of considerable length and of some considerablediameter. To heat such a roll considerable fuel must be supplied to theroll and this necessitates some means to handle the excessive Volume ofthe products of combustion which obviously result from the burning of somuch fuel Within the roll. To accomplish this result a suitable exhaustis provided for the roll and it is in the form of a pipe 70 connected toan exhaust fan or Vblower 70a and extending up through a suitableopening in the member 47 and through the opening 27 in the unit framemember 5. On the interior ol1 the ironing roll this pipe extendsthroughout the length oi'' the roll and'is provided With suitableopenings 7l 'for exhausting the products of combustion from the roll. Itis preferable toV arrange this exhaust pipe at a point Where collectionel the products of combustion is most aggravating, and the arrangementshown in Fig. 6 has been found to be extremely practical. In thisarrangement the pipe 70 is supported by suitable brackets 72 mounted onthe spider 35, as shown. In this arrangement the ironing roll revolvesin a clockwise direction and the exhaust pipe 70 is arranged betweenburners 2 and 3. By the use of this exhaust for the products ofcombustion ample air for supporting combustion is drawn into the rolland the llames from the burners are permitted to impinge nicely againstthe inner Wall of the ironing Wall'. It has been found in practice thatthis exhaust for the products of combustion is so effective that whenthe exhaust is cut olif the flames smother out for considerable distanceand, indeed, sometimes go entirely out, but When the exhaust is turnedon the burners light up and proper heating proceeds.

Cooperating With the ironing roll are suitable pressure rolls, and theirconstruction and arrangement vvill novv be described. At the righthandend of the machine, as shown in Fig. 2, the outer cylindrical portion ofthe trunnion bearing 7 receives rollers 73 arranged between it and a camoperating ring #l provided with an outwardly extending lin 75 carrying aplurality olf cai members 7 6, each having a tangential cam slot portion77 and a dwell at the outer end as at 78. '.lhere are three of thesecams, one for each group or pressure rollers, as will appear.

At the opposite end of the machine the step conical bracket member 4:7is in like manner provided With a cam ring 79 having a fin 80 carryingsimilar cams 8l.

These cam members at the two ends of the machine form pairs and eachpair, one at one end of the machine and one at the other, is adapted byits camming action to move the pressure rollers radially into and out ofpressing relation with the ironing roll and there are tvvo rolls movedby each pair of cams, and since there are six rolls shown and theirconstruction and arrangement is identical, a description of one pair ofrolls With its mounting and its connection to the cams Will sullice forall.

In the case of the right hand end of the machine, the unit frame member6 is provided vvith a guide member 82, Fig. 8, secured to the ira-me inany suitable manner and having a bore or opening 83 extending radiallyWith respect to the axis of the ironing roll. This bore or opening 83receives a plunger guide 8lprovided with a lateral pin 85` projectingthrough a slot 86 in the guide 82. This pin receives a roller 87engaging in the cam slot of the associated cam of the group of cams 76and 8l. The roller has an operating fit in the cam slot and when the camis moved bodily by its cam ring the roller Will be moved along thetangential portion of the slot and to the dwell, When the plunger guidewill be moved outward. This operation moves the pressure rollers awayfrom the ironing rolls, as Will appear. Y

To return the pressure roll `to ironing position, the cam rings arerotated in the opposite direction, when the roller 87 Will move down theslots of the cams and the padded roll Will rest upon the ironing roll.As before intimated, there is a complete roll raising and loweringdevice at the end of each of the pairs of pressure rollers.

Suitable mechanism is provided for moving the cam rings 74 and 79 and itcom prises an ear 88 on each ring, a link 89 pivotally connected to eachear, and an operatinglever 90 mounted upon a shaft 91. Each of the arms90 is provided With an actuating arm 92 extending upwardly at the frontof themachine When the pressure rolls are'` in engagement with theironing roll, and these arms are connected by an operating bar 93. Toraise the rolls this bar is pulled forward to the dotted line positionshown in Fig. 8, when the pressure rolls will be moved out of engagementwith the ironing roll and the work. 1n the arrangement just described,the levers 90 and the links 89 are constructed and arranged to provide a'toggle ar 'angement between the shaft 91 and the ears 88 so that whenthe bar 93 is moved to the rear, as shown in Fig. 3, the cam rings 74and 79 are rotated and the pressure rollers are drawn with the pressuretoward the ironing roll, the toggles finally straightening and lockingthem in this position.

Each oi the plunger guides 84 has a reduced shank 94 surrounded by atension spring 95 adapted to thrust against an adjusting hand wheel 96at the outer end, and the inner end against a guide sleeve 97 looselysurrounding the shank 94rand carrying a pair of bearings 98, onearranged on each side of the sleeve 97. rllhe loose Ht of the sleeve 97upon the shank 9-1 serves to permit the springs 95 to adjust theirtension equally upon the two rolls with which they cooperate and applythem with uniform pressure upon the ironing roll. Lilie bearings atopposite ends of the machine carry the trunnions 99 and 100 9i one ofthe pressure rolls 101. Each ot these pr ssure rolls provided with asuitable padding 102. lithin the sleeves 97 and at the right hand end ofthe machine each of the trunnions 99 is provided with a driving pinion103 adapted to n esh with the ironing roll driving gear 11 when thepressure rolls are lowered into engagement with the ironing roll, butfree of said gear when the pressure rolls are moved outward.

The machine may be provided with side apron mechanism, and in such anarrangement suitably supported brackets 10i are provided, one at eachend of the machine, and these brackets carry a forward Jfeed apronroller 105 supported in bearings 106 carried by guide rods 107 supportedin space guides 108. rllhe guide rod 107 is provided with a thrustcollar 109 engaged by a spring 110 arranged between itv and one of theguides 108 to force the bearings 106 outward to take up the slaclr inthe feed apron. it the entrance between the first pressure roll and theironing roll is a. pair of feed roll bearings 111, one at each end ofthe machine, and these support a rear feeding roller 112 adapted toengage in a bight of the feed apron 113 preferably made up of aplurality of narrow aprons or endless belts. vWithin the bearings 111the roll is provided with a driving gear 11e meshing with a gear 115secured to the trunnion 100 of the orwardmost pressure roll.

1n use, when the machine is cold and idle, the pressure rolls are raisedfrom the ironing` roll in the manner already described and the operatorstarts the machine by iirst turning on the gas by means of the valves 33and L19 and lights the burners within the ironing roll, the motor havingbeen started so tnat the ironing roll revolves about the burners andbecomes uniformly heated throughout its length and around its circuna'erence 11s it becomes heated it ncessarily expands, and when its heatis sutlicient to jroduce the proper amount oi' expansion, the fuel isshut down by the thermcstatic valve already described. After the rollhas been heated to the proper degree, the operator then throws thepressure rolls and the feed apron into operation by shifting the b r 93from the poition shown in dotted lines to that shown in full lines inFig. 3, when the various pinions of the several pressure rolls will bebrought into mesh with the 11 and the rolls will be driven. This alsobrings about a proper driving mesh of the driving gears of the feedapron, and it will be set in motion. The ironing operation proceedsuntil the rolls are again released.

1f desirable, the machine may be provided v-fith a safety device in theform of a swinging frame comprising end members 116 pivote-d to suitablesupports 117 secured to the irame. These end members are jointed bysuitable rails 118 which are hung by the end members just in 'trent ofthe entrance between the ironing roll and the pressure roll. One of theend members, preterably the lett one, shown in Fig. 1, is provided witha laterally extending pin 119, shown in Fig. el, and this pin engages anotch 120 in a latch lever 121 mounted upon a shaft 122. This shaft issupported in a suitable bracket 123 and has a linger 124 thereon adaptedto engage a button 125 of any suitable self-opening electric switcharranged in a suitable box 126. This switch is in the motor circuit, andwhen heleL in by the linger 124 as shown in Fig. 1, the circuit to themotor is closed but when the latch arm 121 is released from the pin 119this selfopening switch will break the circuit and stop the motor.

1n the modification shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the hollow ironing roll isprovided with heating means other than gas burners and in thisarrangement the step frame member 17 receives a collar 125 supportingone end of a frame 126 extending within and throughout the length of theironing roll to the opposite end where it is supported loosely in asuitable opening in a plate 127 secured to the end edge of the trunnionbearing 7 by suitable bolts 128. rllhis frame 126 within the rollsupports suitable brackets 129 in turn supporting an electrical heatingelement 130 oi' any preferred construction.

When the machine is equipped with an electric heating element, as justdescribed, the parts in the Way at the left hand end of der andsupporting roll arrangement at the opposite end permits the roll toexpand and contract without aldeeting the drive end. In other words, theroll is free to elongate at the one end and this elongation does not inany way atleet the drive or require any special arrangement at thispoint.

This application is a division 01"' applicants co-pending applicationSerial No. 230,153, led Gctober 31, 1927, for Ironing machine.

What I claim is:

l. In an ironing machine, a trame, suitable padded members, an ironingroll, suitable bearing means including a thrust bear* ing part betweenthe frame and the ironing roll for supporting the same at one end andpreventing end thrust thereof at such end, driving means for such rollat the same end, and bearing means between the frame and the oppositeend of the roll and comprising a cylindrical part outside of theironing' area, and rollers carried by the frame and engaging saidcylindrical part, said rollers and said cylindrical'part being of anextent permitting the expansion and contraction of the roll Withoutdisengagement of the cylindrical part and the rollers.

2. As in claim l, wherein the cylindrical bearing part is greater inextent than the perpheries of the rollers and the latter are arrangedwithin the ends of the cylindrical bearing part, `whereby the roll maygo and come with expansion and contraction thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereby aiiix my signature.

FRANCIS M. CASE.

